Women’s rights? Why every woman should oppose abortion

I am a young, independent woman. I can vote, go to college, drive a car, even run for President if I want (once I’m over 35)! I can do anything that my male colleagues can do. But there is one thing that I can become that’s denied to my male friends…a mother. Motherhood is the most amazing thing that a woman can do in this world. Just think about it: we can nurture and protect another human life. Every single person in the world had a mother; we all spent nine months in the comfort and safety of our mothers’ womb.

So you can see why I am disgusted when I hear of abortion being propagated as a’ woman’s right’. Abortion is an unnatural act; it goes against every protective instinct a mother has towards her child. Abortion is also the most horrendous violence that can ever be perpetrated on a woman. If you described the methods to a person who had never heard of abortion before – who hadn’t been fooled by all the pro-abortion propaganda and brainwashing -, they would think that abortion was some kind of primeval torture. Imagine, having your own child violently torn apart and sucked out of your womb, or feeling your child struggling and kicking as he or she is poisoned and burned and then delivering the dead, scalded little body. Imagine having your own child, while still alive, dismembered limb by limb inside your womb, your child’s spine cracked and skull crushed in order to remove them, and then a nurse putting each piece of the body back together on a counter to make sure no part of your child is left inside of you. It’s hardly surprising that all the evidence shows abortion is hurting women so badly, as well as killing their babies.

Think about it: if newborn infants were being tortured with brutal punishments such as these, there would be uproar!

But the abortion industry is a multi-million dollar one, and, right from the beginning, they had a pretty good marketing idea: to sell abortion by convincing women that they were simply making a choice, and that abortion gives them freedom. It was a good tactic…but they haven’t fooled me or millions of other women around the world.

Women will never truly have equal rights to men in a world where abortion exists. Abortion is often used to cover up cases of abuse and under-age prostitution. Live Action in the US has uncovered cases of abortion clinic workers in Planned Parenthood helping pimps to cover up the abuse of underage sex slaves. Girls as young as thirteen and fourteen years old are being exploited, and abortion clinic workers are only too happy to “rearrange” the paperwork to make it all look “legit” and help the pimp to run his business.

And let’s not forget that half of all aborted children are female. In fact, in countries such as China and India, where male children are preferred to females, this figure is much higher. This practice of sex-selection abortion is now so pervasive that it has been described as gendercide by the The Economist (which is a self proclaimed supporter of abortion), while the research of one award-winning author, Mara Hvistendahl, showed that 163 million girls are missing from the world. So much for women’s rights.

A few weeks ago Bryan Kemper, an American pro-life leader, said that “Abortion enslaves women to a world where men can dominate and control them so the men can be free.” I couldn’t agree more. Countless women have been made to think that they have no other option but abortion; that they are not capable of being good mothers. They have been coerced by cowardly, weak men, who want to avoid stepping up to their responsibilities and make women think that this “is the best choice”. Abortion is never a “choice”. It is an invasive, destructive, violent and agonising act against womanhood.

Women are designed to become mothers, the womb is meant to be a safe haven for us in the earliest stages of our life, but it is sadly becoming one of the most dangerous places in the world to live. I am a twenty-first century woman who enjoys all the rights and responsibilities that men enjoy. I am happy to say that I am equal to any man in this country, because, according to the UN, Ireland without abortion is the safest country in the world to become a mother. A woman becomes a mother the moment she conceives a child. We need to celebrate motherhood. Every child and every mother is a gift. Women who are frightened and anxious need our love and support. Every woman needs know that she is a life giver, that she can nurture and love her child, that she is doing the most important job in the world. I will continue to stand for every woman, every mother and every child. We must unite against this barbaric and archaic practice. We can eliminate the crisis, not the child.

This article made me very sad. Sad because it labels women as incubators. Sad because it is hugely detrimental to the advancement of feminism. Sad because it works on the assumption that pregnancy and motherhood are inherently linked, which any modern women should know they are not.

The reality for many women is that they are carrying babies who are incompatible with life. They then become burdened with a pregnancy with no possibility of motherhood. The argumentation of the above article is based on the absolute gift of motherhood. Therefore the whole argument falls when motherhood is not possible for medical reasons. I really can not see any reasoned, logical argument for forcing women to carry babies incompatible with life to term. Such a pregnancy condemns the baby to a painful, unavoidable death on birth - if they even survive long enough in the womb to be born. The pregnancy also condemns the women to 9 months of incubation. This puts not only the physical health but the mental health of the women at risk. And this is all because some people feel abortion is wrong in all circumstances?

I also have a massive problem with the use of the biological argument that all women are designed to become mothers. It was biological arguments such as this that led to the enslavement of women by the patriarchy since organised democracy began - the idea that a women is weakened by being the child bearer and should therefore be treated as weaker. Firstly, not all women are designed to become mothers. This is an assumption ignoring the medical reality that lots of women can never naturally have children. Secondly, what about one of the most important rights we revere in modern society? The right to self-determination? No person, no State or no NGO should have the legitimacy to label me as a prospective mother just because I am a women.

The Pro-Life campaign seems to categorise all abortions as so called 'social abortions'. There is very little engagement in discourse regarding abortion for medical reasons. A call to unite against what you deem to be a "barbaric and archaic practice" really helps no one and doesn't provide a platform for reasoned debate on the issue.

I chose to be a mother. I love my son! I also chose to have an abortion. Not every pregnancy is equal and not all women are ready at all times to be mothers, but every born child deserves to be loved and provided for.

You may have seen my status earlier (or not, since you have so many friends :) ) about how frustrated I am to live in a society that pushes motherhood on girls from a young age. Have we no choice at all? We're just supposed to pop out babies because we were born with a uterus, and we're supposed to be happy about it because that's nature destined for us? Uh, no. If my sister, who is in teh military, decides to be soldier for life and not have children, I will support her choice 100%, whether or not that choice includes an abortion. If my other sister, who has dreams of becoming a doctor, decides to spend years in school and then years helping people, and chooses not to have children at all, I will support her decision. Why? Because I know they will support my decision to wait until I graduated with my master's degree before starting my own family. *endrant*

The article claims that abortion is forcing women to make life more convenient for men by making mothers not be mothers. What about women that aren't cut out to be mothers? And they quote Ireland as being the "safest place for mothers." I only just recently read an article that had dozens of stories of women who only had to fly across the channel for an abortion; and I gathered from the article that's just how Irish women have their abortions. Distorting the statistics by saying "abortions don't happen in Ireland" is dishonest. Irish women still get abortions too. Bottom line, though; I resent the statement that "being a mother is the best thing a woman can be." That tells me my choice to not have children means I will never be as good a woman as other women who choose to reproduce.

Angie Jackson Oh what a lot of selfishness! Remember you were once a "fetus". Your BABY is a separate body and has pain sensations! I suggest next time you have an abortion, look at the ultrasound on how your BABY is defending his/her life. If you are really callous, and have a big heart for your CHOICE, then for once, be awake, look at the ULTRASOUND all throughout the procedure of killing your own unborn baby.

Diahann Dy I did look at the ultrasound. The egg I flushed out of my system via the abortion pill (RU486) was less than half a centimeter in diameter. It had no brain, thus could feel no pain. Late term abortions are performed exclusively for health reasons and abortion after 20 weeks make up only 1.5% of all abortions performed in the US. If I had not had that abortion, pregnancy would have killed me long before I came to term. Cheers - you tried to make someone feel guilty for saving their own life and not condemning their living child to the abusive foster care system!

Diahann Dy - it cannot be counted as a separate body when it has no chance of survival outside the womb. It is entirely dependent on the woman for the first two trimesters - it is part of her body. You have no right whatsoever to judge other people, least not call them selfish, for making choices which were right for the particular situation they were or are in. Who are you to judge? Surely making that choice for them, and passing judgement on them having absolutely no idea of their circumstances, is one of the most selfish things you could do?

Good article! I will never understand how others can be so pro-animal rights and even environment and yet don't see the basic right of the unborn child, our fellow human being (not an animal nor a tree).

Through biology, men are designed to inseminate as many women as possible. Should they be forced to have sex with many partners as possible, even if they love only one woman and want to be monogamous? If you're going to hold women to the standard that they're designed to do something they may not want, why not men?

"Motherhood is the most amazing thing that a woman can do in this world."

It's awful that you'd tell women this. Some women do not want to be mothers. Assuming that all women are destined to be mothers is very sexist. Women are human beings that can decide what they want to aspire to. Their greatest aspiration is not determined by their mere biology. What if your daughter had reproductive health problems and couldn't have children? Are you going to tell her you're better than her? After all, you already said you're better than men simply because they can't get pregnant.

Just in response to your first paragraph, biologically speaking, men are not 'designed to inseminate as many women'. Certain creatures are, but not humans. In fact, a chemical called serotonin is released in a man during sexual intercourse, which acts as what scientists have noticed is comparable to an 'emotional super-glue', and affects his brain. He becomes attached to that one particular partner, seeing her faults less, and possessing a higher tendency to be content with just her. The effect of this chemical is lessened the more partners a man has, and the effect of still having bonds with previous sexual partners makes it more difficult for a man to remain with a subsequent sexual partner.

Good for You Mary Anne! :). All women should not have to even THINK about abortion- baby murder is a much more suitable theme. I've read that women who have even just ONE abortion then suffer from depression, guilt and so much more... and it never fully fades. And most important of all, abortion is sinning against the Living God-who creates all of us in the womb.

As a mother who adores her child, and has also taken the difficult choice to terminate a pregnancy at an early stage, let me assure you Elaine I do NOT suffer from guilt or more regarding that decision. For those who make that CHOICE (not for everyone), it can be the absolutely best decision. From someone who knows.

Holly Elizabeth Miller privileged? your the one with the privileged white ass. you would rather kill your own child then spoil your social life. she is writing from ireland where all women are given the same love and care, free in our maternity hospitals and where it is officially the safest country in the world to have a baby and where we dont kill our children by abortion. wherever you live more women and babies die because your lot "know very little regarding women's reproductive health"

Yes, I do have white privilege. Thanks for noticing. But not everyone does. And not everyone experiences "the safest health care" like countries such as Ireland. That's the point I'm trying to make. Women are still dying all over the world in childbirth AND from unsafe abortions, and that's a fact that this MaryAnne woman is completely disregarding. And I did not say that I would "kill my own child" because abortion does not even kill a child. A child is what is outside of the womb, not inside. Inside it is either, a blastocyst, an embryo or a fetus. Most women who seek abortion usually end their pregnancy prior to 16 weeks. They are not going to wait until the third trimester.

what about the women who have died taking the ru486 its funny how you dont mention them? what is this amazing fact regarding womens reproductive health that you think the rest of us and maryanne dont know. the way to make childbirth safe is nothing to do with abortion but i wouldnt expect you to know this seeing as you dont even know basic scientific facts about when life begins. maybe you think you are privileged but its obviously only material. what kind of person devotes her time to further killing babies and wouldnt even regard her unborn child as human?

OH MY GOD, DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT PRIVILEGE MEANS.
We are all privileged here because we likely have it pretty easy when it comes to embracing potential motherhood. Mary Anne goes on about how "motherhood is a gift", when in reality, not every woman feels the same way. Also, not every woman is capable of supporting a child on their own. Too many children are being raised in toxic living environments, thousands are still waiting to be adopted, etc. Minority groups (Aboriginal, Hispanic, Black) in particular are lacking decent resources for when they become pregnant, hence why a majority of them seek out abortion. Also, approximately 60% of women who get an abortion in America already have at least one child. So they are already mothers.
Abortion is technically safer than pregnancy, as more women die from complications during pregnancy than from a botched (legal) abortion. That doesn't mean I would tell every pregnant woman who is experiencing complications to get an abortion. If they wish to remain pregnant, then they have every right to!
I've read nothing that suggests that the abortion pill is killing women. If it was a direct cause of death to millions of women, then it simply wouldn't be given to women seeking an abortion. An abortion pill is also given up to 8 weeks, when it's simply an embryo. It's probably the easiest procedure, considering it's taken during the most earliest stage of pregnancy. If you want to know more, you check Wikipedia. It's that simple.
Also, I am not encouraging that all women terminate their pregnancies. I am pro-choice, meaning I support women who choose either abortion, adoption, or raising their child themselves. I DO NOT DEVOTE my time to "killing babies". If I did, I would be in jail. But abortion isn't infanticide anyway. Infanticide is when you kill a child who is living and breathing and OUTSIDE of the womb.

Holly Elizabeth Miller didn't you privileged lot say the same about the blacks, they weren't really human so you could do what you liked with them. ..white privilege is an american term, this is an irish blog and you were just using it to be nasty and judgmental towards maryanne. just because people are poor doesn't mean they wouldn't make wonderful mothers. why dont you campaign for more support for mothers? we have great support for mothers here and there are NO babies available for adoption, couples go to a torturous procedure to get them from abroad. also i love the way you've never heard of the women who have died taking the ru486, that's convenient to add to your abortion is safer than pregnancy spoof.

White privilege is a universal term actually; it applies to every white person. Look it up. (I'm not an American, by the way).
I'm obviously not saying that every single poor person would make a terrible parent. I'm considering the reasons why many people of low and average income seek out abortions when they are faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Mary Anne, is being judgemental by dismissing (ignoring) the situations that other women face around the world. Women who are NOT as well off as she appears to be. Abortion continues to be an important medical procedure for thousands of women around the globe, and this chick just doesn't get it. Because she has never been in that situation.

It's nice that you have such a great support system for expecting mothers, wherever it is that you live. BUT, you can't assume that the rest of the world is built the same way. That's pretty ignorant.

Got any sources to prove to me, that the abortion pill is fatal? Send 'em to me.

it is an american term even wikipedia admits it. abortion is not medical it cures nothing it just kills a baby. people like you tell women that is just a choice like picking a pair of shoes but its not that simple.most women feel relief at first but then it turns into anxiety and depression that can ruin the rest of their lives. after all if you accidently knocked down and killed a neighbors child you would feel so bad but to deliberately bring your child to be killed, how would you live with that. to deny that this happens just adds to their pain. now we have scans everyone can see their baby in their womb its really not debatable to keep saying its not a baby. some day if you get pregnant yourself you will see this and realise what a miracle it is. the love you will feel for your baby the minute it is born is so amazing its hard to describe no matter how poor you are. in fact in ireland the poorer areas are always really pro life its the rich that are pro abortion, probably because they are too busy being materialistic. the majority of us and probably mary anne come from large poor families but we were happier then the "planned" kids that are around now in fact the more material stuff they get the more miserable they look. just look up ru486 deaths in google and most of the women are named because their loved ones are bringing courtcases

"Advocates of early medical abortion point out that deaths are very rare - about 1.1 per 100,000 cases, on the basis of US research - and it is much safer for the woman than having a child, where eight die for every 100,000 live births."

That quote came from a news article covering the death of an Australian woman after she took the pill. But like I've read before, this still goes to show that the pill does not always lead to death for the majority of women who take it. IT'S A RARITY. Whether it be childbirth or abortion, they're both risks that many women are willing to take. Why can't they be supported for both?

White privilege is not an American term, Wikipedia just says that most theories about it are simply derived from American and European societies (where white supremacy is/has been abundant). But essentially, the term can still be used wherever there are white people.

I can think of three friends of mine who have gotten abortions in the past (but I know there's more), and all of them are living their lives to the fullest and do not suffer from depression. Two of them are even mothers right now. There's NO solid evidence that suggests that you will suffer from a mental illness after you've had an abortion. Every woman is different, however. There may be some that feel sad, happy, relieved, regretful. But in the long run, I don't imagine the regret would last. Especially if they're able to get pregnant again.

Also, you cannot make the assumption that every woman wants to be a mother. I know plenty who don't and some who don't even want to try, simply because cancer runs in their family.

And why do you think that I would immediately seek out abortion if I were to get pregnant? I don't hate children just because I support a woman's right to choose. If it was the right time, maybe I would get pregnant. It's not something I consider much though since I am still young and in college.
Again, you're making assumptions about women, on the basis of class. No evidence shows that richer people abort more often because they are "materialistic". That's just a ridiculous thing to say in general.

im not making assumption ive spent years canvassing in referendums and you would get your throat slit if you canvassed for abortion in a so called working class area in ireland, it has always been the rich who vote for abortion here. but then we as a country really love our children and have larger families than any other European country. there is tons of evidence that women suffer from severe depression after abortion, ive met many of these women myself. it called post abortion syndrome and its hell to live through. wait till you get into your thirties and you will see all about it. anyway even if your friends dont care about killing their baby what kind of people are they? i suppose there are many out there who think rape, murder childabuse is ok our prisons are fulll of them but that doesnt make it right. anyway nature has a way of getting its own back if you live your life selfishly why should anyone put themselves out and mind you when you get old?

Again, you're assuming that every woman has the same experience with abortion solely based on what you've witnessed in your hometown. There's no such thing as "post-abortion syndrome", only a "pro-life" website would make that shit up. Wait until I get into my thirties? Why, because what I've already seen isn't valid enough already? I volunteer at my local clinic, I help a variety of women (young and old) get into the clinic without getting harassed by protestors. Some women are nervous prior to the procedure, others are not. Many appear relieved afterwards. It always depends on the woman.
My friends care a lot about the choices they've made. I mean, one of them was only 15 years old when she had her abortion, because she knew she didn't have the resources to take care of herself and a child.
Getting an abortion is not and never will be equivalent to rape or child abuse, you don't need to bother comparing them.
It also doesn't mean you are living your life selfishly. I don't know why anti-choicers keep insisting this. For example, women who are already mothers may only be able to support one or two children. That's why they may choose abortion if they're faced with another (unplanned) pregnancy. It's not selfish, especially if you know that you are not equipped or even emotionally/mentally ready to raise a child.

so you play in active part in making sure the baby gets killed. well that says it all no wonder you cant handle the truth. im sure your friends parents would have helped her and they would have a beautiful grandchild now to bring laughter and joy to their home.

An active part? I'm pro-choice. Pro-choice means I support you whether you keep your child, give it up for adoption, or choose abortion. I don't insist that every pregnant person gets an abortion. If that's what they choose to do, then so be it. I fully support legal abortion services because they are proven to be safe for women. That's it.

I support a woman's right to choose. Abortion services should exist, because if they didn't women would be seeking out unsafe methods. In that sense, I am pro-abortion. It's fine if you think it's disgusting, but you should never interfere with other women's decisions.

You might like to think that you're "standing up for life". But by basing your opinion on such a blatant lack of knowledge of abortion and displaying an absolute disregard for the women who have chosen to be pro-choice you're merely undermining the entire pro-life movement through advocating such a pathetically incomplete argument. You are perfectly entitled to support pro-life, but at least try to do so using actual facts and an adequate knowledge of all the issues involved. At least then you may actually contribute something to the pro-life argument, rather than damage it through your misinformed and fanatical debating style.
"Let’s go girls!"? A suitably immature conclusion to an ignorant and incompetent article.

Excellent Mary Anne! There a many reasons why people support abortion. One of them is the over-population myth. It is easy for unthinking people to look around and say to themselves "there are too many people". So they like the idea of women killing their babies. However it is easy to debunk that myth. One can calculate that all the people of the world could live comfortably in the state of Texas with less density than most people already experience in urban areas.

Anyway, great article. I invite you to read the essays at www.abortionessay.com.

6. “Women will never truly have equal rights to men in a world where abortion exists”.

What planet are you on? Women will never truly have equal rights because their bodies are political battle-grounds. Women are unable to control their own destinies because all down through history they have been lumbered with the chore of carrying babies they didn’t want and raising families they couldn’t manage. Do you think rape and abuse is going to go away because women can’t access abortion? Rape and incest will sadly exist until women are empowered to be in control of their bodies and their destinies. Do you use a condom? Do you take the pill? Do you like the idea of a sex life without unwanted pregnancy? Do want the ability to pursue intimate relationship and life goals? Then why on earth would you want to be FORCED to have a baby that you don't want, or think that others should be?

7. China. O dear.

It's t is hardly true or sane to suggest that anyone in Ireland or any normal person on the street is advocating forced medical procedures or abortions on anyone else. If anything, pro-choice people promote independent choice. We trust that women can do what feels right for their own lives, bodies and pregnancies. And we are quite happy to give them the control and the means of following their own destinies.

Just because the Nazis used gas chambers does not mean Ireland has to ban gas, or forbid the building of chambers. The ordinary woman of Ireland who seeks an abortion has little or nothing in common with the Communist dictators (believe it or not).. in the same way that the ordinary person who uses a gas oven at home is no danger to Jewish people. Your logic is daft.

8. “Abortion is never a “choice”.

Abortion, whether you like it or not, is chosen every year by thousands of women. To put choice in inverted commas is to insult the intelligence of these women.

How can you claim to know what is best for other women, all over the world, and to know that their choice is not real or authentic? Are you - all knowing?

How can anyone, let alone a young person who has barely garnered enough life experience to comment in a full and intelligent way, claim to ‘know’ what is right, wrong or moral? Pro-lifers claim to ‘know’ what is best for other people. We all on this planet are unique, different, independently formed and individual.

YOU cannot possibly ‘know’ what is best for me.

9. Women are designed to become mothers?

I just did a little bit of sick there. (A bit like your disgust, not totally advisable when making your point).

Women have the beautiful ability to give birth, but I feel designed to be an artist, but I am quite sure other women feel designed for other things. We are each unique. We are not incubators or blue-prints, pre-programmed to churn out babies!

By your argument, lesbian women who have no aspirations towards motherhood must be,, what…. ‘faulty designs’? What about women who want to have children but can’t! Are they ‘bad designs’?

It is limiting and reductive to talk about women in this way. We are designed in a way that is all the time evolving , both physically and sociologically.

10. “I am a twenty-first century woman who enjoys all the rights and responsibilities that men enjoy”.

Really. So you have beat just about every other woman on the planet to the post! Do you think the feminist movement is just.. having a laugh? Do you think in Ireland every year thousands of euro is funded to womens projects.. because they are equal to men? And happily accessing the same rights?

If you read up on your facts, women do not - across the board - enjoy access to the same level of healthcare, salary pay, living conditions or social, political or cultural opportunities as men. In Ireland, for instance.. can you… sign up to become a priest if you want? Hmm?

You need go to a group like Ruhama and they will tell you a little about things like gender-based violence and how, as a woman in Ireland, you are not even as SAFE as a man. Ha!

Simply by virtue of being female, the odds are stacked against you. Being born female puts you at an IMMEDIATE disadvantage and if you have equal rights then you need to talk to people like Germaine Greer and enlighten us all as to how you’ve achieved that!

(Check in with the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and then judge whether you have the same access to a safe and secure trip home through the streets late at night, as a man has. You are totally bonkers if you think that you have even half of the rights that a man does – wake up and smell the inequal coffee!)

Essentially, I can respect both sides of any argument Mary Ann, and I have a right to my own opinion. You have a right to yours. But lets not get bogged down in thinking we ‘know’ or judge what is right, wrong or moral for millions of other pregnant women around the world.

I am sure most pregnant ladies are capable of making personal and private decisions for themselves and their own pregnancies. And it is really irksome and patronising to have people like you claim otherwise!

So thank you for the read. I disagree with nearly everything you have to say and have summarised here my thoughts.

Here are my 10 Points Highlighting Why Every Woman Knows intuitively in her Soul What's best for herself and her unborn Baby.

1. Yes motherhood is amazing, but it is not factual to say it is thee most amazing thing in the world. I am a woman with no aspirations to be a mother and I do not feel like I am missing out on the most amazing thing in the world. (For the record, I think the earth itself is the most amazing thing in the world. But I know that is only a matter of personal opinion). It is quite insulting and patronising to be told that motherhood is the most amazing thing in the world, because it presumes that everything else is secondary.

For millions of women, their creativity, their relationships, their health, their art, their environments appear just as amazing to them, as motherhood appears to you!

It is quite narrow-minded of you to think in this day and age that motherhood is still the be-all and end-all. Welcome to the 21st Century lady! Being a mother is just one element of being a woman!

Mother hood is cool, of course, but so too are many other things!

2. On matters of being ‘disgusted’ by the opposing side of debate, perhaps your disgust is clouding your view-point.

To really truly engage with a debate, surely it is best to try and really clearly to hear the opposition in a non-judgemental and non-disgusted way. By parking things like your disgust, you can zone in on things like facts, logic, details and....reality.

Listening carefully in a non-emotional way is basic good-practice in terms of debating and developing meaningful dialogue.We can't evolve and grow under clouds of disgust.

Starting off on a note of disgust, damages the credibility of every thing you have to say.

3. Abortion is an un-natural act.

Many medical procedures today, such as radiation, chemotherapy, life-saving treatments etc are new to the body. Unnatural is a poor choice of word (often used by bigots too when discussing homosexuality). Abortion is a medical procedure best and provided by trained clinicians. Part of evolution means we can avail now of scientific interventions to change, aid, develop and amend the body. There is nothing unnatural about abortion, it has been around for a long time, and will always continue to be.

Like all medical interventions, some patients will report positive experiences, some patients are left with negative feelings. There is no hard factual and fool-proof evidence to show that ‘most’ women who choose abortions would turn back to the clock and make a different decision.

There will always remain a certain amount of conjecture, and cloudy data because.. In life, humans constantly question, doubt, regret or feel relieved to have made decisions. That’s life. To say that most women regret their abortion is probably not true, it's an unfounded claim.

4. “Think about it: if newborn infants were being tortured with brutal punishments such as these, there would be uproar!”.

I'm thinking about it and I'm thinking - It doesn’t seem to bother you one iota that right now, all over Ireland, thousands of women are being emotionally bullied and harassed, victimised and blamed by this tasteless awful poster campaign. Thousands of women, who are going about their lives quietly and independently are being unnecessarily tormented. I'm thinking - why is it that the hypothetical situation of newborn infant torture bothers you, but the reality of adult torture doesn’t? A women has the formed consciousness and intelligence to know what is best for herself and her unborn child. A foetus can feel pain, but cannot know - in any way – what is best for itself. That's fact.

5. So, the pro-choicers haven’t fooled you!

Whothe flip is trying to fool you? I am pro-choice and I’m not trying to fool anyone. I simply think that each pregnant woman in the world knows her own body and pregnancy best, and can make her own independent choice without my interference or anyone elses.

I think YOU are the one fooling yourself that one condition in life i.e. pregnancy, fits all.

Pregnancy does not fit all. Pregnancy does not fit some people at all. Some people do not want to be pregnant and cannot cope. Victims of rape, incest, relationships which are abusive should not be doubly punished into having a child they don’t want, just because YOU think motherhood is the best thing in the world! Get off your high horse! There are thousands of mothers all over the world who will tell you also that motherhood did NOT feel right for them! And there is a stigma in even thinking that! The reality is that everyone experiences pregnancy and motherhood is a unique and personal way and sometimes.. women are even TRAUMATISED by their pregnancies!

Can you please specify which studies you are referencing when you say "all the evidence shows abortion is hurting women so badly"? I have read many studies and reports and never come across anything that shows long-term physical or mental damage in the majority of cases. Thanks.

You are valuing a life that doesn't exist over a life that has already entered the world (the would-be mother's). You have no respect for women, nor for anyone who choose differently than you, you are no better than a hard core pro-choicer, remember that... intolerance isn't only a vice of your opponents. Also, honey, you haven't lived long enough to understand a quarter of what you're writing about (I haven't lived long enough to understand 2/3's of it). Additionally, your description of abortions seem to focus on abortion late in the 2nd trimester and partial birth abortions, which are by and large illegal and not performed by Planned Parenthood. So, as for as the barbarous dismemberment of babies, its wonderful imagery but lacking pertinence since it isn't practiced legally. I feel very sorry for you, honestly, because you are so young and are already allowing a person that you've never met (that doesn't even exist yet!) define who you are. You have already staked your identity on your unconceived child! You have abandoned your own individuality, you have no identity outside of your ability to become a mother. Tell me, what will you do if you cannot have children? If the man you marry cannot have children? If you never find someone you love enough to marry (unlikely, since you place such a strong emphasis on becoming a mother you will likely settle at some point when your biological clock begins ticking too loudly)? Then who will you be?

how ridiculous. maryann is great craic. do you really think a woman gives up her individuality when she becomes a mother? how stupid . what planet are you living on. do mothers in georgia really turn invisible and lose their personality. since giving life is something only a woman can do i think we should be really proud of that considering it is the most important event in a persons life is their birth as if you were never born(obviously) you could never do anything else. also i cant stand people who use honey to try and patronisie others it really just says a lot about you, she obviously knows what she is talking about and i really think you should keep your pity for yourself as you are so afraid to become a mother in case you turn into a cardboard box. i know mothers of 10 who have more fun,wit and intelligence in their little finger than 10 proabort students put together

I'm very sorry that you missed the point of my post and are unable step back from your own personal views to observe that I never said mothers lose their identity when children come. My argument was that women are capable of much more than motherhood and we should not be confined to define ourselves by the capability of our wombs, which is the path I believe Maryann has chosen based on her article. I also enjoy that you seem to believe you know me well enough from this brief post to assert that I am afraid of motherhood. On the contrary, actually I do hope to one day become a mother (God and biology willing) its just not something I'm ready for at this point in my life. I also found it very interesting that you immediately devolve into personal attacks instead of addressing my criticisms of the misrepresented facts. I enjoy that you criticize me for being "patronizing" but then continue an assault on my views, choices, and intelligence. Motherhood is a wonderful thing, but it is not the ONLY thing a woman can do, nor is it something that should be demanded of every biologically capable individual. You're welcome to your opinions and to believe that mothers you know are more "fun, wit(ty) and intelligen(t)" that women who pursue education before reproduction and believe in giving women the ability to choose what happens in their bodies. I've chosen to delay procreation for the sake of education. If I were to reply to your statement using your own line of reasoning I would assert that your obvious disdain for pro-choice students is a defense mechanism for your own insecurities about yourself, or perhaps stems from a bit of self doubt about when you chose to become a mother, though I certainly don't expect you to acknowledge any of these postulates even if they should be accurate. However, I fully recognize that a paragraph written from emotion on a very volatile topic is not sufficient for me to even begin to understand your psyche; it would have made for a mature discussion if you had chosen to extended me the same courtesy. Unfortunately I believe we're well past that possibility now and must agree to disagree. Best of luck with your family, and I mean that in sincerity though I doubt you will believe me.

so let me get this straight if a woman gets pregnant and finds out her life is at risk if she if she carries the baby to term, she should just go head an keep tha baby an risk diying. better dead mothers than ded babys?

Jeffrey, not that old chestnut again. I thought everybody knew at this stage that there are no circumstances where abortion is needed to save the life of the mother. I mean really, I didn't think anyone was that ignorant anymore. Sigh.

by all means lets breed our selves into extiction. how exaclty do you suggest we feed all these new children you think we should be having.

Author: MaryAnne

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I’m just a student with a dream, there’s nothing very unusual about that. But my dream affects every person in the world. It’s a dream that I share with millions of others; I dream of a day when nobody will be denied their right to life. The right to life is the most fundamental right of all and without it all other rights are pointless. This is not just a personal issue; this is the biggest human rights abuse of our time. Those of us who are alive cannot deny this right to others.
I hope that our grandchildren’s generation will look back on this period in history with astonishment and disgust. We can be certain that they will ask the same question that we do of past generations, “Why was this allowed to happen?” We cannot stand back while our brothers and sisters are being denied their right to life. Life is a right for all, not just the strong and powerful. So let’s stand up for life, from conception to natural death. We can all make a difference – you, me, everybody!